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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26435959">a name like son</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulren/pseuds/carefulren'>carefulren</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, DCU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Fainting, Gen, Jason lacks any self-preservation abilities, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Sickfic, Tumblr Prompt, Whump, Whumpfic, Wonder where he got that from?, braincells? who's she?, daddy bats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:33:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,574</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26435959</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulren/pseuds/carefulren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason's forced to share his Crime Alley patrols with the bats, annoyed to find that on the night he feels the worst, he's sharing patrol with Bruce.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>156</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>a name like son</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div class="">
  <p></p>
  <div class="">
    <p>With the recent rise in aggravated incidents in Crime Alley, Jason’s been forced to share his patrols with the bats, an idea he violently fought against until Alfred stepped in, the calm, steady voice of reason, and insisted it was necessary for his safety.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>Monday he had Dick, and things were... okay. Dick’s face is plastered beside the definition of “handful,” but he knows how to respect Jason’s patrol strategies, following wordlessly and only helping when needed. On Tuesday, Tim proved similar to Dick, his maturity blossoming. Though, he asked more questions, weirdly curious about Jason’s lingering effects of the Lazarus Pit. Jason answered each, hoping his short, clipped replies would hush the replacement because his head was starting to pound along each question.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>Jason wasn’t surprised to see Damian on Wednesday, but he was definitely annoyed. He had woken up with a splitting headache that seemed to bleed down to his muscles, pushing against them. He thought, at first, it was a migraine, but the pain in his head was different and accompanied with a flushing fever heat that colored his cheeks. He said nothing to Damian, and Damian merely scoffed and disappeared to navigate Crime Alley areas alone. Jason let him, going off on his own as well, and they met up to one-word debrief before parting ways for the night.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>When Jason shoots his grapple hook to the edge of a rooftop on Thursday, he expects to find Dick again. Maybe Cass. What he doesn’t expect is to see the unwanted, annoyingly familiar, brooding shadow of Batman standing atop the roof, arms crossed, mouth flat.</p>
  </div>
  <div class="">
    <p>Jason’s stomach drops, and he stumbles his landing, catching himself with a hushed curse. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”</p>
  </div>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Bruce sighs, fingers visibly digging a little harder into his arms. “Language, Hood.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“This is my territory,” Jason spits back. “I’ll say whatever the fuck I want. Why are you here? Doesn’t Batman have bigger things to do?” Saying ‘Batman’ aloud leaves a sour taste atop Jason’s tongue, a bitter word that plays with the dull burn of the Lazarus Pit.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Since Jason’s return to Gotham, Bruce has been trying to reconcile, but Jason’s not willing to forgive and forget. He’ll try with the others, more so because they are annoyingly persistent, but not with Bruce. He can’t wrap his mind around forgiving Bruce for letting him die, for letting the Joker continue to breathe while he took his first last breath.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I want to be here.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“That’s fucking gold,” Jason rolls his eyes and turns away, absently coughing into his fist as he scans his rapid departure. The coughing’s a new development, only just testing his lungs when he woke this morning, but the headache’s remained, a steady, pulsing thump that his repeated consumption of pain killers can’t seem to touch. He doesn’t need a thermometer to know he’s running a fever; he’s got the inconsistent jumping from boiling hot to freezing cold to supply that for him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Jay-”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Code names, <em>Batman</em>,” Jason growls before he shoots his grapple hook to a rooftop adjacent to them, moving along the sudden pull of weightlessness until his feet are thumping atop the next roof. He breaks out into a run, falling into a pattern of leaping over smaller gaps and grapple hooking over larger ones, all to ditch Bruce. His muscles are trembling from the sudden exertion, but he feeds off of the pain, pushing himself harder and harder when he hears Bruce not far behind him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He only stops when he hears a woman scream from below, skidding to an unsteady stop and peering over a roof edge just as Bruce lands heavily beside him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Muggers.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No shit,” Jason grumbles, already bracing to leap off the building. “Do me a favor? Stay the fuck out of my way.” He jumps to the sound of Bruce’s strangled “Jay,” ignoring it as he grabs a fire escape to soften his fall. He lands strategically between the two muggers and a young woman.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Today’s your lucky day, gentlemen.” Jason smiles sharply under his mask. “I’m in a really shitty mood, so I’ll make this quick.” His fist moves on its own, and he allows the aggravation to bleed to a dull rage that pushes his punches, plants his feet, and pulls his dodges. In just a minute, the two muggers are unconscious at his feet, and the woman’s running from the scene, stopping only when Batman drops to the ground in front of her and talks her into staying to give a statement to the GCPD.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jason’s already shooting back up to the next rooftop, and his lungs quake against a bursting fit of coughs the second his feet make a rough landing. He coughs into his helmet, his chest shaking, but he forces a steady breath when Bruce drops beside him. Though, it takes more blinking then he expects to clear his wavering vision.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Do you plan on following me all night?” Jason questions, tired and far too hot under his suit. “I don’t need my territory associating the Red Hood with Batman. I have a reputation, and you’re going to fuck that up for me.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’m here to help.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You can help on the East side of Crime Alley,” Jason mutters, a few, weaker coughs slipping past his lips. “I’ll handle the rest.” He drops to a landing below him, leaping over to the roof of a convenience store, and his legs buckle on the landing. He falls to his knees, his vision swimming faintly, and he unconsciously taps into the deep-rooted burn of the Lazarus Pit when Bruce drops beside him, one hand frozen mid-reach toward Jason’s back.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“What part,” Jason growls, coughing hollowly around each word, “of fuck off isn’t clicking in that empty skull of yours?” He’s shaking despite the heat gripping at his bones, and he clumsily undos the lock on his helmet, sucking in a ragged breath when his burning face is exposed to the cool wind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Jay?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Jesus Christ, B,” Jason spits out, forcing himself to his feet and slapping Bruce’s hand away. “Just fucking go.” His throat’s burning, and his head feels oddly heavy despite the absence of his helmet. The skin across his face is so hot it’s practically itching, and he rips at his domino, squeezing it in his fist when Bruce frowns deeply at him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Jason? What’s wrong?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jason laughs, and his laugh gives way to a few, chesty coughs that rattle his lungs. His vision is graying at the edges, and he hastily rubs at his eyes. “What’s wrong is I’m tired of you and the fucking peanut gallery clinging to me like fucking leeches!” He’s faintly aware that he’s breathing too fast, and he’s impossibly hot. He swipes at his eyes again, but his vision only darkens. He’s fading, and yet, his body is mingling with panic.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He feels Bruce slip and ungloved hand across his forehead, and he tries to jerk away from it, but Bruce keeps him in place with his other hand wrapped tightly around his arm.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Jason, you’re burning up. Why didn’t you say?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Bruce’s classic growl, Jason thinks, is wavering? He’s not sure because his ears are ringing. “Because it’s not your fucking busin-” Jason stops, his mouth forming a round ‘oh’ right as his vision goes black.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>***</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Bruce catches Jason as he falls, and he swallows back the panic threateninng to cripple him as he taps his comm, rattling off his coordinates. “Who is closest?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>“I am,”</em> Dick chimes in after a moment. <em>“I can be there in five. What’s up?”</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I need to get Jason back to the manor. Do you think you can cover the Alley alone tonight?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>“Of course, but what’s up, B? Is Jason okay?”</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“No,” Bruce whispers, smoothing a shaking palm to Jason’s burning forehead. “But he will be.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>***</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jason’s entire body feels impossibly heavy, so heavy that he struggles to open his eyes, mind briefly flicking toward panic at the unfamiliar surroundings.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You’re at the manor.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The ceiling suddenly makes sense his mind, as does the voice at his side. He drags his gaze to see a Bruce sitting in a chair at his bedside. He frowns, briefly glancing to the IV in his arm before turning back to Bruce, a silent question in his eyes.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“You fainted on patrol. You were running a fever of 103.3 degrees, and you were dehydrated.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Shit. Jason knew he was sick, but he hadn’t realized he let it get that bad. He wants to talk, even opens his mouth to, but Bruce holds a single hand up, shaking his head.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Save your strength. You’re on the mend, but not as quickly as we’d like.” Bruce slips to his feet, his eyes colored in dark pain that Jason catches onto.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“I’ll give you some time to yourself now that you’re awake, but I’ll be back, and you are just going to have to deal with that.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Jason’s mind is fuzzy, confused, pained, but he feels a fraction lighter along the knowledge that while he blacked out, he woke back up this time, safe, alive. He stares at Bruce’s back headed to the door.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“B?”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Bruce stops, and he whips around, one brow arched.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Thanks. I guess.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>“Of course, son.”</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Bruce leaves, and Jason decides that, just for tonight, he’ll take muted comfort in the single word that carries an impossibly heavy amount of weight.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Son.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Idk what I'm even doing, lmao. </p><p>Come say hi or drop a prompt off on tumblr! (@toosicktoocare)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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